Foldable automobile bed frame



Feb. 6, 1923.

* R. WI CLEGHORN ET AL.

EoLnABLE AUTOMOBILE BED FRAME.

S'sHEETs SHEET l.

FILED JUNE 22, 19

/b EQN Feb. 6, 1923. y 1,444,732. R. W. CLEGHORN ET AL.

FOLDABLE AUTOMOBILE BED FRAME.

FILED JUNE 22,1922. I 4SHEETS-SHEET 2- Feb. 6, 1923.

R. W. CLEGHORN ET AL.

FOLDABLE AuoMoBxLE BED FRAME,

3 SHEET v--SHEET 3.

FILED )UNE 22. .1922.

Y" liza/@71m DOERT C1. gaf/ORN Patented eb. 6, 1923..

UNITED STATES PATENT g omer.

noBEBT w. cLEGHoBN, ALBERT L. DANIELs, AND cHAnLEs'E. Home, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FOLDBLE AUTOMOBILE BED FRAME.

Application iled. June 22, 1922. Serial No. 570,025.

To all wkomz't may concern.' A

Be it known that we, ROBERT W. CLEG# HORN, ALBERT L. DANIELS, and CHARLES E.

MCKEAG, citizens ,of the Unitedl States, re-

i siding at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have inbedframe that may be readily folded into a compact collapsed position for transportation and storage, and which also may/be.

readily expanded for adjustment upon l,the body seat structure of an'automobile lt is a further object to provide a foldable bedframe for an yautomobile which enables the utilization of the removable seat cushions of the automobile to form a mattress on the frame. lt is also an object to provide a frame that may be readily set up upon any horizontal surface as in a camp, house or tent.

A further object is to provide for the use of the foldable frame in its erected position in such mannerthat the automobile can be converted into an ambulance in emergency; the Aexten'dedbedframe with the vinattress element supplied thereto forming a support upon which an injured .or ill person may recline,A and which bedframe while enabling the occupant ofthe bed to lie at full length across the tops of the seats of the automobile,` yet provides ample clearance for the driver of the vehicle.'

A further object is to provide a foldable bedframe which with slight modification and change of` its elements can be adapted for use with dierent types of vehicles.

@ther objects will be made manifest in the following speci'ication of embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a broadside elevation of an auto-mobile partly broken away and showing the lextended bedframe as arranged upon the seats thereof.

Fig. 2 shows the extendedv bedframe as arranged upon a plane vsurface,l as the door of a house or other building, and in which arrangement the automobile seats .are applied to form the mattress of the bed.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the foot end of the bed of Fig. 2.

l Fig. 4 is a side elevationof-the Abed ex i tended and showing the provi plemental building up brackets.

Fig. 5 is a plan of the tonneau of an auto-- mobile showing the extended frame therein. Fig. 6 is a plan of the tonneau and showing the mattress formingv parts applied to the extended frame.

sion of sup- Y Fig. 7 is a lan of the tonneau and shows the mattresse ement arranged for ambulance service 'and as leaving clearance for the driver of the vehicle at' the wheel.

Fig. 8 1s a perspective of a somewhat i modified form adapting the invention to another form of vehicle.

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan of the foot or Slat frame ofthe bed.

Fig. 10 is an end View of the same. Figll is a perspective showing the slat frame collapsed and rolled. I 1

Fig. 12 is a perspective illustrating the use of the yslat frame as a table.

In itspreferred embodiment the invention comprises a frame builtup of main side rails 2 and 3 which n'are preferably formed of channel iron with inturned topvflanges ,in a common plane, and these are transversel. connected by foldable links 4 having media joints 5 which can be folded and permit the bringing of the side rails 2 and 3 into close parallel position so that the frame can -be 4 compactly collapsed to be stored away Adjacent the rear or' head end of the frame members 2-3 is provided a set of legs 6 which are pivotally connected as at 7 so as to be folded up along the side ofthe rails,A

and which legs form supporting means.

Pivot/ed at 8 upon the forward and outside ends of the rails 2-3 are side forming ineptibers l0 and 11 also preferably of angle iron with flanges turned outwardly and also having ianges' laid dat against the side anges of the rails 2 3. The outer ends'of the head members l0 and 11 are transversely connected by a foldable brace 12 having a medial pivotal connection 13 which, when buckled, enables the side, members 10 and l1 to. be brought toward each other' in folded position.

The frame as thus constructedwhen ex-i tended is designed to be arranged within the tonneau of an automobile A in which position the legs 6 are swungdownwardly to be deposited upon the rear bench BL in the tonneau' after the cushion C has been removed.

'llhe front arms or end members 1() and 11" ot' the bedframe are shown as L-shaped, and the short arm portion as 11a is designed to extendverticallyl down behind the back D of the front seat so that the forwardly extending longer portions of the members 1() and 11 project forwardly over the to'p D of the front seat. rllhe length of the t. legs 11n is substantially equal to the thickness of the cushion C of the back seat and the cushion C of the front seat, so that the cushions when applied to theframe members 2--3 will assume a level substantially equal to that of the forwardly extending front end members of the bed bearing upon the back of the front seat. f,

1t is understood that the dimensions of the 'frame Will be made according to the tonneau dimensions of any particular auto mobile with Which the bed is to be used, and

the side members of the bed trame are pref- -erably arranged when erected Within the side panels of the body of the automobile. To support the overhangingend of the front frame above the front seat S, straps or other suspending devices 15 are provided and may be attached to the side rails R of the top 'F ot the automobile, and these Will,there1"ore, when passed around the side members 1() and 11, provide for the sate and substantial support thereof and ot the person reclining upon the bed.

To form a. mattress carrying means `for the foot frame 1()--11 there is provided a foldable bedding support consisting of side bars 16 and 17 pivot-ally connected at adjacent ends as at 18, and to the extremities of vthe bars 16 and 17 are pivoted at 19 transverse end members 20 and 21, and these are mediately braced by a @'oldable link or brace device 21 having a pivotal connection 22 in the line of the pivots 18 of the side members 16 and 17. By folding the brace members 16, 17 and 21 on their pivots 18 and 22, the end members 20 and 21 can be moved into close parallel relation as shovvn in Fig. 11.

The bottom of the bedding support is clearly shown in Fig. 9, and upon its upper portion there is applied a Hexible sheet 23 of any suitable material and this may have along parallel edges hems 24 into which may be tucked the ends of transversely extending flexible slats 25. From this it will be `seen that the extended bedding support maybe positioned upon the front or end fra-me members 10'11, and any suitable bedding as blankets or a mattress may be then extended from end to end of .the bedtrame over the cushions C and C when these have been applied upon the depressed side members 2 and 3 of the frame.

The mattress or bedding sup-port 23 ma be perforated as at 23 to provide for the passage of the suspending straps 15, Fig. 1,

suitable bumpers 27 to protect the cushion. I

lWhen it is desired to utilize the foldable bedframe as a cot or temporarybed support upon the ground or upon the floor of a room, then the side legs 6 may be swung out of the way as shown in Fig. 2, .to permit the side members 2 and 3 to rest immediately upon the floor or ground and auxiliary supporting legs 6a are then attached as by bolts 6b or otherwise to the front elevated or foot trame members 10-11, Fig.' 2, so as to support the elevated foot part of the frame.

1n somecases the cushions C of the autornobile may be considerably compressed or Worn, and in order to properly build up the level et such cushions when they are utilized in the bed structure, jack or prop means are attached to the side trames 2 and 3. Such means may consist of simple upwardly projecting knee-like pieces 30 which are attached to the top rlanges of the 'side rails. and will therefore serve to elevate the ap# plied iattened cushion as C2.

A modified form of the trame is shown in Fig. 8 in Which the rear ends of the side members 2 and 3 are curved as at 2 to lit over the upper portion oit the back seat cushion F of an automobile, and in thiscase the side members 2 and 3 are formed of jointed sections pivotally connected as at 2a and 3a, the legs 6a extending to the door of the car.

ln the event that it should be desired to use the apparatus for ambulance purposes, then it is only necessary to swing the bedding support 23 around to the position shovvn in Fig. 7, in `vvhich case' it extends forwardly to one side of the steering Wheel W and leaves exposed the uncovered party of the support trame 11 and 12 which is adjacent the steering Wheel. This enables the reclining of an injured or ill person upon the extended bedding and also provides suih' lll@ cient room for` the driver to have access to the steering Wheel and operating levers. When the bedtrame is erected to extend tor- Wardly, the bedding sheet 23 is provided with strap holes 23a to receive one of the The trainel section herein referred to as the front section Vmay be' considered as the foot section ,when the bed is in use, since then the body of the person reclining on the bed would be supported comfortably upon the comparatively deep cushions C-C and thus only the lower limbs and feet would rest upon the shallower bedding on the front or foot section overhanging the front seat.

.To protect the top of the front seat from injury, suitable padding or protecting means, as pad strips 11b, may be applied in the angle of the L-shaped side members 10 and 11 of the front frame section.

Various modifications and changes may be resorted to Within the spirit ofthe inventlon as claimed.

What is claimed is: 1. A foldable bedframe comprising a section having downturned rear ends, means for supporting the said frame horizontally, and a cushion receiving framel attached foldably to the said ends and having downwardly bent side bars, the rearv frame having means for jacking up a flattened cushion resting on the bent part of the bars.

2. A foldable bedframe comprising a section having downturned rear ends, and a cushion receiving frame attached foldably to the said ends and having downwardly bowed rails to hold cushions of uneven shape with their tops in one plane.

3. A foldable bedframe comprising a" front section having downturned rear ends, means for supporting the said frame horizontally, a cushion receiving frame attached foldably to the said ends and having foldable legs, and a foldable bedding receiving device for the front section, and which device is adapt--` ed to be arranged on said section s0 as to -lie to one side of the usual, steering wheel and permit of ambulance service.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

ROBERT w. cLEGHoRN. ALBERT L. DANIELS. CHARLES E. MCKEAG. 

